Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator O'Neill, and you're correct. I think so many of us were moved by the images of more than 200 Australians greeting loved ones in Sydney. I can confirm that another flight left Dubai this morning with hundreds of Australians on board. At this stage, another two flights are scheduled to depart for Australia today if conditions permit. We understand that the UAE and airlines are working hard to put on flights out of the region. They also need to of course make sure that flights can safely depart.

Obviously, the situation is enormously difficult while the region is under attack by the Iranian regime; however, commercial flights continue to be the fastest way to help Australians leave the Middle East at scale. There are many more thousands of Australians waiting for flights to come home. This will continue to be a challenging time for many Australians, and travel disruptions could persist for some time.